general information

The National Examinations Centre (Centre) is a central institution established for the external assessment of pupils, apprentices, students and adults in Slovenia.

Brief History

Initially, the Centre was set up to carry out technical administration of the Matura, a school-leaving exam enabling candidates to enrol in academic courses at Slovene universities. The Centre was granted the status of an independent institution in 1993, when the Slovene Government established it as a national centre for the external assessment of pupils, apprentices, students and adults. The Centre took on tasks linked to the technical preparation and implementation of the Matura, as well as adopting the role of an expert organisation for the research and development of assessments and thus becoming the central institution for external assessment in Slovenia. In 1995, it successfully carried out the first Matura for all candidates choosing to complete their secondary education with these school-leaving exams.

Since 1995 the work of the Centre has been oriented towards improving the procedures involved in preparing and administering the Matura. Between 1997 and 2005 it also administered the Assessment of Knowledge examinations in the eight-year primary education programme.

In 2000, the Centre began providing expert and technical support to the National Examination Committee for the Administration of the Practical Part of the School-Leaving Exam in the Dual Education Programme. A year later, the Centre prepared and organised the first foreign language exams for adults and became involved in the assessment and certification of national vocational qualifications.

2002 saw the administration of two large-scale projects: the introduction of the Vocational Matura for students and adults as well as the National Assessment of Knowledge examinations in the nine-year primary education programme.

Between 2003 and 2007 the Centre was involved with the Committee for Assessing and Providing Quality in Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Education as well as Organisations for Adult Education; the committee was appointed by the Minister of Education. In 2004/05 and 2006/07 the Centre carried through the project of assessing and providing quality in education funded by the Ministry of Education and Sport and the European Social Fund.